Well, that's a new trick to try...

AdrianC

Another morning, and another phone call from the EA.

The vendors have reduced the price further - and are now £2.5k below the long-agreed pre-Friday figure, totally unprompted, and they're apparently ready to move out immediately to stay with relatives.

The EA had them sat in his office for an "extended period" last night, after the shop closed. It turns out that the old lady didn't leave the house to her nephew, who the EA's been dealing with. She left it 100% to the nephew's wife.

And the nephew hadn't told his wife - the actual vendor - anything about Friday's shenanigans.

Cue a major marital in the EA's office. There is a sealed letter from missus to my mother waiting in the EA's office.

"Well, it's all business..." said the nephew.
"Shut the **** up. This is not just business. This is our lives. My life. Mrs X's life." said the wife...

You could not make this up. This is the gift that keeps on giving.

pimento

Magic. I assume that whatever is in the letter won't change your mother's mind.

DaftyDuck

AdrianC wrote: »

You could not make this up.

If you weren't a regular poster, I'd play my "half term trump card" and claim my £5 reward.

House buying & house selling bring out the worst in many. Quite a few houses hit the market as a result of spousal diversification, but it's less obvious how many house sales cause such rifts.

Well, maybe this case is more obvious. Wise old biddy, from the sound of it. Wonder who'll be on the sofa for the next few weeks!

Hope your mother will consider her options carefully.

merrydance

Gazumping - is when another buyer comes in with a higher bid.

This is called Gazundering - when the vendor pushes the price up on or around the day the property is meant to exchange. Hoping the buyer will pay because they had already paid out for legal work etc

AdrianC

DaftyDuck wrote: »

If you weren't a regular poster, I'd play my "half term trump card" and claim my £5 reward.

As would I, if I wasn't fielding the calls from the EA (because the holiday cottage my mother's currently living in doesn't have a phone and we don't get a mobile signal round here).

Hope your mother will consider her options carefully.

No considering to be done... Her mind is made up. She might be in her late 70s, but she's no pushover. If anything, all this silliness is just reinforcing her decision.

caronoel

AdrianC wrote: »

Another morning, and another phone call from the EA.

The vendors have reduced the price further - and are now £2.5k below the long-agreed pre-Friday figure, totally unprompted, and they're apparently ready to move out immediately to stay with relatives.

The EA had them sat in his office for an "extended period" last night, after the shop closed. It turns out that the old lady didn't leave the house to her nephew, who the EA's been dealing with. She left it 100% to the nephew's wife.

And the nephew hadn't told his wife - the actual vendor - anything about Friday's shenanigans.

Cue a major marital in the EA's office. There is a sealed letter from missus to my mother waiting in the EA's office.

"Well, it's all business..." said the nephew.
"Shut the **** up. This is not just business. This is our lives. My life. Mrs X's life." said the wife...

You could not make this up. This is the gift that keeps on giving.

Sounds like an absolute bunch of muppets.

Your mum is right to walk away.

My guess is they will eventually sell to someone else at a much lower price, particularly once HMRC come knocking for payment of the Inheritance tax

p00hsticks

merrydance wrote: »

This is called Gazundering - when the vendor pushes the price up on or around the day the property is meant to exchange. Hoping the buyer will pay because they had already paid out for legal work etc

No, gazundering is the opposite - where a buyer reduces their offer to the seller close to exchange. I'm not sure if there is a term for what you describe

AdrianC

p00hsticks wrote: »

I'm not sure if there is a term for what you describe

Raging wuckfittery.

ognum

AdrianC wrote: »

Raging wuckfittery.

Well done AdrianCs mum. Stick with it.

I had an incident where a buyer messed me around continuously, in the end I got so fed up I simply said I am not selling to you under any circumstance.

They suddenly became very tame but I sold to someone else on principle.

There will be something better around for mum!

Joskat

We were messed about with our house purchase. The vendor accepted our offer and we got the ball rolling with organising solicitors and house buyers report etc. The main buying point for us was that the garden was south facing overlooking fields and rolling hills, it was perfect, but we also knew that there was work needed doing to it. After two months of multiple conversations with EA he told us that she couldn't find a house with such wonderful views that she already had so she pulled out of the sale. We were livid as it had cost us the RICS report, and although we asked if she would contribute to the cost we heard nothing more. Our solicitor wasn't too pleased either!
Fortunately we found another house within a few days - still south facing, double garage for hubby, and absolutely nothing needed doing to it so in the end she had done us a favour.
Skip forward 3 years and planning permission has just been granted for building 70+ houses on the land at the back of the original house we wanted.............